Further efforts will be made to regulate commercial operations at the Palace Museum, said curator Shan Jixiang on Monday, responding to the media about concerns that the museum has become overly commercialized in recent years.

"Commercial activities are necessary for our development, but the emphasis has always been on restoring and exhibiting cultural relics," Shan said, adding that the museum phased out 14 businesses in 2018.

According to the museum's master plan, the Forbidden City will open 80 percent of its total area to the public by the end of 2020, and increase the number to 85.2 percent by 2025. In addition, the museum is expecting to exhibit 12 percent of its collections of cultural relics to the public in 2020.

Over 30 special exhibitions featuring famous cultural relics will be shown in the Palace Museum to celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2020. And dozens of exhibitions will be unveiled from the second half of 2019 to the end of 2020, in a bid to present the museum's unique historical heritages, royal culture, festival customs, and other characteristics.

Shan said about half of its visitors now are under 30 years of age, and the Palace Museum has taken many innovative approaches to attract more people. One of the ways was a special furniture-themed exhibition held last year, with over 300 pieces on display. The museum plans to open more collections of cultural relics to the public this way for them to study and appreciate.

In 2020, the First Historical Archives of China and another institution in the Palace Museum will move out. Over 1,450 employees, firefighters, and armed guards will be moved out from the museum's ancient buildings. In the meantime, more areas in the museum are expected to be opened to the public.

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